The Age of Magical Thinking

‘The Age of Magical Thinking’ explores the universally shared experience of childhood and youth as a time marked by change. Childhood involves experiencing the uncertainty of the present as a transition — an invitation towards the yet-to-be. This future focus suggests a vital lens through which to view this time of global crisis. The exhibition brings together artists who invite immersion in the present as an antidote to our catastrophic world, and artworks that create critical alternatives, and sometimes fantastical realities, as escape routes from a dystopic future.

Some artists reflect on their own childhood to understand the present. Others focus on the fundamental role of play in developing individual identity and collective thinking or create digital worlds to model alternative ways of being, appropriating digital technologies to their chosen ends. Engaged artists acknowledge young people as creative agents who shape their own experience. Artists presenting in public spaces across Liverpool reflect how young people encounter this ever-changing city.

‘Magical thinking’ allows us to view childhood imagination as a productive and creative space, but also to think of the present and the extraordinary changes we face in social, economic and political life across the globe. It is a psychological term broadly understood as the belief that thoughts, actions, or symbols can influence the external world.

The exhibition references psychologist Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, describing how 2-7 year olds make sense of the world, through lines blurred between reality and fantasy – fuelling creativity. It is also known through Joan Didion’s autobiographical text ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’, which recounts the author’s journey of using this psychological mechanism to survive life-altering grief. More recently, ‘magical thinking’ has described the effects of ideological polarisation, authoritarian rhetoric, and swarm political behaviour. It has also been used to discuss the world-shaping challenges brought by technology and Artificial Intelligence.

As youth take to the streets across the world, demanding a just and dignified life, ‘The Age of Magical Thinking’ makes space for young people’s realities and dreams, including their rights to self-determination and public space. It encourages us to address the present with a sense of curiosity: summoning futures to be claimed.